"NICE——!!"
Seeing Crocodile get blasted away once again, Nami, who had been hiding behind a stone pillar to watch the battle, jumped out in excitement.
Not far away, Robin and Cobra were stunned in place, shocked after witnessing Allen's overwhelming display of dominance.
Cobra was somewhat composed; he didn't know Allen at all and merely assumed he might be some infamous great pirate.
But Robin had gathered intelligence on Allen. She knew full well that he was just a powerful rookie with some potential who had recently entered the Grand Line.
Originally, she had only planned to use Allen, waiting for an opportunity to launch a fatal sneak attack while Crocodile was distracted by the fight.
However, given the sheer intensity of this battle, finding a suitable opening to intervene would be far too difficult. But...
*Perhaps he doesn't even need my help,* Robin thought silently.
Compared to her agreement with Allen to defeat Crocodile, she had something far more important to do right now.
The Poneglyph...
She didn't have the patience to wait any longer.
Robin glanced toward the depths of the underground tomb, leaving Crocodile behind as she walked in alone.
Seeing her move, Cobra stared deeply at her retreating back. After a moment of thought, he got up and followed her.
Back on the battlefield.
*Rumble—*
The pile of ruins burying Crocodile trembled violently. Beneath it, the stone slabs paving the floor were corroding into sand.
The corrosion spread outward from the center at a visible rate. The massive pile of rubble was swallowed by quicksand, continuously sinking until it revealed the wretched figure standing within.
Crocodile's hair hung down in a messy tangle. He had completely lost his former composure and arrogant aura; all that remained was a dark, brooding expression plastered across his face.
He glared at Allen with cold, hateful eyes, slammed his large hand onto the sandy ground beneath his feet, and roared in a deep voice,
"Ground Death!!"
In an instant, a bizarre power erupted with him at the epicenter. Floor tiles, statues, and even the stone pillars supporting the ceiling—
Everything swept up by this corrosive force began to decay, gradually turning into yellow sand!
Allen's gaze sharpened, and he quickly leaped backward, retreating until the corrosion finally came to a halt.
Looking up, he saw that the ground within a hundred-meter radius around Crocodile had been completely reduced to a sandy wasteland.
Standing right in the center, Crocodile casually raised a hand. Under his control, the nearby grains of sand floated up one by one, hovering in the air around him.
"I see. You want the position of Warlord of the Sea? I admit, you are qualified to challenge me."
Crocodile let out a cold laugh. He turned his head to glance toward the depths of the underground tomb before shifting his gaze back to Allen.
"Although I won't be needing this title for much longer, do you really have the power to take it from me?"
"Oh? A desert terrain? If that's the source of your confidence, I'm afraid you'll have no choice but to give up that position today...!"
Allen bared his teeth in a ferocious grin. He cracked his neck and smashed his fists together in front of his chest. The muscles on his back gradually contorted into the visage of a demon.
Watching Allen's aura suddenly skyrocket, Crocodile's eyes narrowed. For the first time since the battle began, he wore a truly serious expression.
Before this, he had never taken this man, who had appeared out of nowhere, seriously.
The destruction of a single stronghold at the entrance of the Grand Line was something completely beneath his notice; he had never paid it any mind.
When they attacked the rebel army and abducted Koza, he merely assumed it was a coincidence and simply ordered Robin to send Officer Agents to kill them.
Later, when Allen's group took Koza and headed toward Alubarna, the matter finally caught his attention. Risking being wiretapped, he used a Transponder Snail to order his Officer Agents to gather their subordinates and intercept them.
Yet Allen had actually broken through the blockade, pursued him all the way to the underground tomb, and even displayed strength far beyond his expectations.
"As a rookie, you certainly have enough to be proud of. Unfortunately, this is as far as you go...!"
Crocodile's eyes turned icy. Spreading his fingers to manipulate the suspended sand, he shouted and swung his hand forcefully toward Allen.
"Sand Shower!!"
*Swish! Swish! Swish! Swish!*
In an instant, the fine grains of sand rapidly condensed into sharp needles, and tens of thousands of them shot out explosively on command!
Facing the dense, unavoidable barrage, Allen spread his legs and dropped into a half-squat. He raised his arms, crossing them in front of his eyes to block, and accelerated his blood flow to enhance his muscles before contracting them to their absolute limit.
"Iron Body・Ultimate Steel!!"
By accelerating his blood flow to gorge his muscles, combined with the extreme contraction and hardening of his muscle control, he traded his mobility for an ultimate defense that surpassed steel!
*Clink—Clink—Clink!*
The sand needles ruthlessly pierced down, striking his steel-hard body with crisp clinking sounds. However, unable to penetrate even his skin, they shattered back into loose sand from the sheer force of the impact.
Without needing to waste even a sliver of Haki, Allen blocked every single sand needle from the torrential assault.
The moment the attack ended, he leaned forward, planted his hands on the ground, bulged his leg muscles, and violently kicked off the earth!
*Bang!!*
The ground beneath his feet exploded into a web of cracks as Allen shot forward like a cannonball!
Unleashing all his power! It was the most primal, brutal, and wildly savage pounce of a ferocious beast!
"Triple Heavy Sand!!"
Crocodile hastily manipulated the sand on the ground to rise up. However, before the second layer of defense could even be formed, Allen smashed right through the first sand wall, arriving in front of him in a flash of lightning!
Crocodile's pupils shrank in shock as Allen's shoulder slammed into his abdomen with immense, crushing force, instantly sending him flying backward!
*Crash!—Crash!—Crash!*
Crocodile's body spun out of control, snapping two slanted stone pillars in succession before crashing heavily beneath a statue's stone pedestal at the edge of the sandy terrain!
Allen's eyes gleamed with a fierce light as he leaned forward and charged in pursuit.
"Bastard...!"
Crocodile gritted his teeth and glared furiously. Two streams of blood flowed down his face from his forehead, and the severe concussion to his brain blurred his vision.
He pressed one hand against the ground, pushing his powers to the absolute limit. The entire sandy terrain suddenly began to boil!
"Desert Croc Burial!!"
*Rumble!*
The earth trembled. Under Allen's solemn gaze, the sand beneath his feet surged rapidly, as if trying to drag him into a quicksand vortex and swallow him whole.
At the same time, countless mounds of yellow sand rose from the terrain, rapidly condensing into massive, three-to-five-meter-tall crocodiles with long snouts, sharp fangs, and terrifying visages.
Eight giant crocodiles opened their bloodthirsty maws and lunged at him from all directions!
"Tch."
Allen scoffed dismissively. Exerting force in his legs, he leaped up, instantly breaking free from the quicksand.
*Thump! Thump! Thump!*
Then, he kicked his feet continuously, producing muffled thumps against the air.
"Moonwalk!"
Allen's body rose higher and higher, stepping on the air to fly out of the giant sand crocodiles' encirclement.
Reaching the top of the underground tomb, he flipped upside down, planted his feet against the ceiling, and kicked off with explosive force, plummeting downward like a speeding meteor!
A flash of crimson malice gleamed in Allen's eyes. Locking his gaze dead onto Crocodile, he extended his limbs, drew his arm back to gather power, and clenched his fist tightly!
Seeing this, Crocodile frantically slammed his large hand onto the ground, causing a massive sand sword to pierce out from the earth!
"Desert Grande Espada!!"
"Mach Two! Supersonic Punch!!"
Allen roared furiously, whipping his arm forward to deliver a punch that broke the speed of sound. A terrifying shockwave blasted violently in all directions!
*Bang!!*
Yellow sand collapsed and splattered everywhere as the fist explosively shattered the giant sand sword. Without losing any momentum, the punch slammed ruthlessly into Crocodile's chest!
"Gah——!!"
Crocodile couldn't stop himself from spewing a massive mouthful of blood. His entire body doubled over, his eyes bulging as if they were about to tear open, his face twisted in extreme agony!
"Die!!"
*Crash!—Crash!—Crash!*
Allen roared and unleashed a sudden burst of power! The terrifyingly destructive punch instantly blasted Crocodile deep into the underground tomb. His body smashed through countless structures in succession before violently crashing into the Poneglyph monument!!
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